Apartment in Avenida da República
Located on Avenida da República in Lisbon, in a famous modern building, the apartment was completely original before the renovation.
The renovation was designed to achieve two fundamental aspects, respecting the existing architectural project and the contrast between the 60's and the contemporary way of living.
With this, the focus was to enhance existing features along with new added features during the renovation so an individual identity would be created. To achieve this, in the most private areas the existing doors and the general design of the rooms were maintained. Whereas, in the kitchen and laundry room the lioz marble stone and cabinets were kept. In the social area, previously made up of 3 rooms, it was decided to expand the space, making this a large room with a library and a dining area.
The entering ritual into the apartment was created in stages, starting by going through a very large space, the building lobby, to a very small space, the apartment entrance.
This apartment entrance was purposefully designed to be intimate, with a lower ceiling and carpet on the floor, walls and ceiling. This effect muffles the sound at the moment of entry and emphasizes the transition between the entrance to a larger hall designed to function as an art gallery, consisting of a hall and corridor.
Thus, the unifying element of the renovation and pre-existence would be the art gallery, which links the social and private area.
As for the materials used, the concrete of the art gallery and kitchen is the silver lining between the social and private area, which is composed by large pine hardwood planks which is typical of Portuguese architecture.
